Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The other Voltari fled the moment they heard their Patriarch’s order, but their opponents held them back.

Everyone had reached the same conclusion: now that the Voltari had come, they couldn’t be allowed to leave. Otherwise, they would only return and put them all in danger again.

Keeping them here, however, was easier said than done.

The Beast Sovereign, Abyron, Theron, and the Golden Eagle were all faster than their opponents, so they had no trouble cutting off their escape. Frostfox had enough control abilities to keep its opponent pinned down as well.

The Dire Bear was another matter. Defense was its specialty. Once its opponent decided to flee, it had no way to stop him.

In the end, the Voltari fighting the Dire Bear was the only one who managed to shake off his opponent and escape the battlefield.

After putting a great deal of distance behind him, however, he realized that neither the Patriarch nor any of the others had made it out. He hesitated, wondering if he should go back.

If he kept running, the pressure on the others would only increase. They might all die there.

But if he went back, nothing would change. They would still be trapped, and the outcome would be the same.

While he was still debating what to do, the Patriarch’s voice sounded in his mind.

”Go back and get reinforcements!”

The Voltari stopped hesitating and raced toward the Void Realm passage they had used to enter this world.

Back on the battlefield, the Dire Bear stomped its foot in frustration. Its short legs had cost them an enemy.

But speed had never been its strength. There was nothing it could have done.

It turned and charged the Voltari fighting Frostfox.

With one fewer Tier 47 fighter on the Voltari side, their advantage gradually became clear.

Now that it was two against one, victory was only a matter of time.

The Voltari Patriarch watched anxiously, but there was nothing he could do. All he could do was pray that the subordinate who’d escaped returned with reinforcements soon.

The Voltari dominated their world, but the other races there still had plenty of Stage SSS fighters. If his people could hold out until those reinforcements arrived, victory would still be theirs.

The fighting continued.

Not long afterward, Ethan and the Dread-Eyed Lion appeared on the battlefield once again.

Every Voltari’s heart sank.

Another of their companions was gone.

What in the world was inside that strange dimension?

How could a Tier 42 human and a Tier 43 beast possibly kill a Tier 46 fighter?

Every Voltari who had died in this battle had fallen to those two.

The Voltari had started with the advantage, only for Ethan and the Dread-Eyed Lion to turn the entire battle against them. They hated the pair to the bone.

If their opponents hadn’t been keeping them occupied, they would have focused everything on killing those two first.

As soon as Ethan emerged, he noticed that something had changed. There seemed to be one fewer Voltari on the battlefield.

”What happened?” he asked.

”One escaped,” Abyron replied.

”It was my fault. I couldn’t stop him.” The Dire Bear sounded frustrated.

”Don’t blame yourself. Speed isn’t your strength. Once he decided to run, there was nothing you could do,” Ethan said. ”But he’s probably gone to bring back reinforcements. We need to finish this quickly.”

He turned toward the marked woman’s battlefield.

She had the three remaining Tier 46 Voltari completely on the defensive.

The healing creature had already disappeared, but her injuries were now almost fully healed.

The Voltari were undoubtedly powerful. Six Tier 46 Voltari could kill a Tier 47 opponent, and five could still suppress one.

But only three remained now. There was no way they could match the marked woman.

Her offensive power, however, was honestly rather unimpressive. She still hadn’t managed to kill a single one.

Without hesitation, Ethan dragged another Voltari into the Deadlock Dimension.

The remaining two Voltari’s faces darkened.

Two against one? They had no chance.

They tried to flee, but the marked woman wouldn’t let them. She was still a Tier 47 fighter. There was no way two Tier 46s could escape right in front of her.

Besides, Ethan had already killed most of her opponents for her. If she still couldn’t take down even one, she’d be completely useless.

She stopped holding back.

She had to kill both of them before Ethan returned.

But the moment that thought crossed her mind, two figures reappeared nearby.

Everyone froze.

How were they back already?

Until now, Ethan had spent roughly half an hour inside the Deadlock Dimension each time he pulled in an opponent. They had all assumed that was how long he needed to secure a kill.

But this time, he had returned in less than a minute.

And the Voltari he’d taken inside was gone.

Did that mean Ethan had killed a Tier 46 fighter in under a minute?

No one on the battlefield could believe it.

Ignoring their shock, Ethan went straight to Emily.

”Emily, restore our mental energy.”

This time, he hadn’t stayed inside the Deadlock Dimension to fully recover. They couldn’t afford to waste another half hour. Besides, the situation outside had stabilized and was no longer as dangerous.

Emily nodded and activated her Energy Recovery Aura, restoring Ethan and the Dread-Eyed Lion’s mental energy at the same time.

It didn’t take long for both of them to recover completely.

Ethan wasted no time. He dragged another Voltari into the Deadlock Dimension.

The marked woman stared speechlessly at the sole Tier 46 Voltari left in front of her.

Ethan had killed five out of the original six.

He was making her feel utterly useless.

”Die!”

The marked woman finally snapped. Beautiful flowers rose behind her and slammed relentlessly into the last Voltari.

Before Ethan could return, she finally managed to kill one herself.

The moment her opponent fell, Ethan and the Dread-Eyed Lion reappeared.

Seeing that she’d dealt with the last one, Ethan nodded to her.

”Not bad.”

The marked woman gave him a bitter smile. ”Coming from you, that almost makes me want to crawl into a hole.”

”At least you’re self-aware. It took you forever to deal with a few Tier 46s. Hurry up and help the others.”

”...”

She stared at Ethan, speechless.

Did he have to be so blunt?

Still, she flew toward Abyron’s battlefield.

If she wanted to survive, she had to help Ethan’s side win. If the Voltari somehow turned things around, they would make her death as painful as possible.

What she didn’t realize was that no one had time to stop her if she chose to flee now.

But watching Ethan kill five Tier 46 fighters in a row had left too deep an impression on her. She was so wary of his strange dimension that running had never even crossed her mind.

As for why she chose to help Abyron instead of joining the Dire Bear and Frostfox, who already held a greater advantage...

Only she knew the answer.